Update: Lewis Hamilton was ‘hooning’ in a Mercedes C63 AMG

Several people have asked us which car Lewis was driving that could have possibly ‘enticed’ him to pull a broadslide when exiting the Albert Park circuit last night, so we thought we’d let you know that it was in Merc’s very own hot-rod, the 449 bhp 6.2-litre V8-engined C63 AMG.

Mercedes-Benz could not have paid for a better marketing opportunity than that.

Anyone who has driven a C63 will know that it’s virtually impossible ‘not’ to hoon around in Merc’s bahn-stormer, and I’d expect nothing less of a 25-year old racing driver when presented with the opportunity.

Whilst many have countered that the ex-F1 World Champion is a role model and should set an example for other young drivers, especially as the FIA governing body seeks to promote road safety in 2010, this is another example of the kind of hypocrisy that permeates through modern society and is used to lambast the errant behaviour of public figures.

Formula 1 is a sport that was created to revere the most gladiatorial of characters, those unique human beings who possess the bravery, skill and self-belief to drive wheel-to-wheel at over 200 mph. We used to praise these drivers for their outspoken and non-conformist behaviour; James Hunt, Ayrton Senna, and Nelson Piquet were all rule-breakers and the sport benefited greatly from the entertainment they provided.

Even the more senior figures such as team-owner Sir Frank Williams – who was paralysed in 1986 after a road accident near Circuit Paul Ricard – have characterised the risk-taking nature of Formula One, which underpins the basic allure of the sport.

Now I am not condoning reckless driving on the public roads especially in built-up city streets, the race track is definitely the only place for high-speed antics, but surely we can cut some slack for the best drivers in the world and acknowledge that we don’t want this select group of individuals to behave like choir boys?